


Brother ( I will not lead thee astray )

by SheWillHuntYouDown



Category: Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Matthew Casey, Hurt Will, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury, It Gets Worse, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Kidnapping, M/M, Multi, Protective Jay, Protective Kelly Severide, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23218126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheWillHuntYouDown/pseuds/SheWillHuntYouDown
Summary: "Jay! Jay! They have Matt, man, they have Matt! I don't know who, or why, but my best friend's been taken!" Kelly shouted, barging up the stairs and into Intelligence.He stopped short at the tense atmosphere in the room. "What's going on?" Antonio looked towards him, a hint of sadness in his eyes.Jay turned around at the sound of Kelly's voice."Will's missing."
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Kelly Severide, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead, Matthew Casey & Kelly Severide
Comments: 64
Kudos: 140





	1. Where the hell is Matt?

**Author's Note:**

> I apologise for any grammatical errors beforehand, English isn't my first language, or even my second for that matter.
> 
> Comments and kudos always appreciated!!!❤️

Kelly Severide was not a patient man. When Matt said they'd meet for drinks at 9, he expected the man to be there by 9:30 at the latest. Even that was a stretch, as the only thing more infamous than Kelly's patience was Matt's punctuality.

Kelly checked his phone the third time. No new calls or texts. _Fuck it_ , Kelly thought, _I'll call him myself. Really, even a simple 'Can't make it. Sorry' would have been enough._

The phone didn't connect, the voice at the end asking him to leave a message.

He'd never say this out loud, but Kelly was getting worried. Matt always answered his phone. He tried once more, just to be sure Matt just hadn't heard it ringing, before getting up and making his way to the bar.

"Hey Herrman! You heard anything from Matt?" "Naw, man, but he was supposed to be at Med in the evening to get his stitches out. Maybe he got held up?" Herrman said, mixing a drink carefully.

"Yeah, maybe." Kelly knew this could have a simple explanation, but something at the back of his mind wouldn't let him believe it easily. He pushed open the door to Molly's, a gust of icy Chicago air making him shiver.

CFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCFCF

Jay was having a rather boring day. No new cases, so the only thing left to do was paperwork. The most taxing part about being a cop wasn't the bullets or the injuries or the late hours, no, it was paperwork. Sometimes Jay wondered if he should have gotten a different job after the army, if the paperwork was gonna follow him home.

The strong smell of coffee brought Jay out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Ruzek dropping off a steaming mug of the nectar on his desk before standing there sheepishly.

Jay narrowed his eyes.

"What did you do?" "Nothing!" Adam said, raising his hands. "Alright then, what do you want?" "Why do you always think I want something? Can't a man bring his friend a cup of coffee?" "Not if it's you and me. Now spill. What do you want?" Adam gave up on the innocent look. "I have a date tonight, and you know my car's kind of a dump. Soooo, can i borrow yours..."

Jay sighed before digging out his keys from his pocket. Before Adam could take them from his hand, Jay pulled away. "Not a scratch, you hear me? I want her back exactly as she was." "Not a scratch Jay, I promise. Thanks bud!" Adam took the keys from him and walked back to his desk.

Jay sighed and shook his head. _Why do I put up with that idiot?_

_It is getting rather late_ , Jay thought after a while, _maybe I should head home, do this tomorrow_. Just as he was grabbing his jacket, his phone rang, signalling a new text.

Dropping the jacket back on the chair, Jay opened his phone. A video from an unknown number. Feeling uneasy, he opened the text, horror growing with each passing second of the video playing.

CPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPD

Kelly's phone pinged as he walked back to the car. Thinking Matt had remembered their plans, Kelly opened the message, shaking his head. It was a video.

His eyes slowly widened when his brain registered what he was seeing. The footage was grainy, but Matt's slumped form was unmistakable. Hands tied to a chair and a gash sluggishly bleeding on his forehead, Matt looked young. Kelly's heart ached even as fury slowly built in his veins. How dare someone hurt Matt! His friend, his little brother!

Even though relations between the two men had become strained in the last couple of months, however much Kelly was mad at Matt, the moment he saw the pained expression on Matt's face he saw **red**.

A hand reached out from beyond the frame and yanked Matt's head up. A low moan escaped from Matt, body protesting against the sudden movement. "Kelly Severide. I know you don't know me, but you definitely know this gorgeous creature I have. So innocent, unlike you. I'm gonna enjoy breaking him, enjoy making you suffer, knowing you can do nothing to help."

"I don't want anything from you but your pain, and hurting him is going to kill you. I'm gonna make you watch as he bears the punishment for your crimes! You took my brother from me, so I took yours!"

The hand let go of Matt's head and he slumped forward, like a marionette without strings. The video shook before going black.

For a moment after it ended, Kelly stood absolutely still. Shaking off the shock, he sprinted towards his car. He had only one destination in mind, Intelligence. If anyone would help him, it would be Jay, Voight and the rest of the team.

Driving like a madman down Chicago's streets, Kelly reached District 21 in record time. The world around him seemed to have slowed down, as if waiting for him to make his next move. Distantly, Kelly realised his hands were shaking on the wheel. He got out of the car and walked towards the entrance, a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold going down his back.

"Jay! Jay! They have Matt, man, they have Matt! I don't know who, or why, but my best friend's been taken!" Kelly shouted, barging up the stairs and into Intelligence.

He stopped short at the tense atmosphere in the room. "What's going on?" Antonio looked towards him, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Jay turned around at the sound of Kelly's voice. "Will's missing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post the next chapter sometime in the next couple of days...


	2. Why would someone take both?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quarantine's been fun! ( Note the sarcasm ). With too much free time on my hand, this is what comes off it.

Kelly immediately switched to concerned friend mode. Let it never be said that Kelly Severide didn't care for his people. He momentarily forgot about Matt as walked up to Jay, but the pain and worry in his friend's eyes brought him back to reality.

The reality where Matt was kidnapped, and hurting.

"Jay received video footage of what appears to be the back entrance to the ED at med. We could hear screaming as multiple assailants drugged a blonde man, yet unknown, and dragged him to a white pannel van. Will came out of the door, saw it all go down. We think he wasn't the target, just found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was hit in the head, dragged to the van and dumped in the back. The video ends here," said Voight, expression betraying nothing.

"The blonde man, was he wearing a grey t-shirt and black jeans?" Asked Severide, voice trembling slightly. "He was. What do you know about any of this?" screamed Jay, grabbing Kelly's collar and pulling him close. Kelly didn't blame him, his own mind wasn't working properly either, worry about Matt clouding his thoughts.

"Didn't you hear what I said when I walked in? Someone took Matt, and he was supposed to be at Med this evening, getting his stitches out. They sent me this video..." Kelly pushed back, getting out of Jay's grip and pulling out his phone.

Antonio took the phone from his hand and pressed play. Noone said a word as they watched it, Lindsey flinching a little at Matt's pained sounds. The silence was palpable when the screen went black and Antonio handed him his phone back.

Jay took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before turning to look at Kelly. "Look, man I'm sorry—" Kelly held out his hand, stopping Jay in his tracks. "You were worried about your brother. It's ok, I kind of feel the same way right now," Kelly's easy forgiveness made a small smile appear on Jay's face, even though it was sad and tinged with worry.

"So you think the the other person in Jay's video is Matt?" Ruzek asked from beside Antonio. "Has to be, can't see how it could be anyone else," came Lindsey's reply.

"The clothes and the hair certainly match Matt. Hey Severide, come here, watch the video Jay got and tell us if the other guy is Matt," Antonio called out. Adam pulled up the video on the monitor and turned the screen towards Kelly.

The video progressed exactly as Voight had described it, so Kelly thought he'd be ready for what he saw on the screen. But nothing could have prepared him to see Matt struggling as some guy held a handkerchief to his nose.

Matt, because it was definitely Matt, finally fell unconscious and was getting dragged to the van when Antonio paused the video. It was a good thing he did, because Kelly didn't think he'd be able to see a second more of it.

"That's definitely Matt," Kelly answered Antonio's previous question. Ruzek nodded and turned the screen back towards himself. Kelly shifted things on Jay's desk before sitting on it and making himself comfortable.

"You know I'm gonna stay right here till we find them both, right?" Kelly said after a moments silence. "Wouldn't expect anything less from you." Things between Voight and 51 had never been great, but Kelly's friendship with Jay and Erin has ensured that Voight, and all of Intelligence knew him, and the kind of person he was.

Voight turned towards the team and started calling out orders. "Antonio, Ruzek, contact your CIs, see if there's any chatter on the street about the kidnapping. Lindsey, call Burgess and Atwater, get them here, and then get the video from Severide's phone down to Mouse. Severide, help Jay go over the videos again, see if you can find anything else. Move, people!" 

As everyone scrambled to do their jobs, Severide walked to Jay, who still had a lost expression on his face. Putting a hand in the younger detective's shoulder, Kelly yanked him out of his spiralling. "Hey, we'll find them. Will's gonna be back to bullying you into taking care of yourself in no time, you'll see,"

Jay released a low sigh at the words, nodding in acknowledgment. "You know what happened wasn't your fault, right Kelly?" Jay asked when the fireman didn't let go of his shoulder immediately.

"Matt was taken to get back at me Jay, how can it not be my—" "None of that now, we'll find them and Matt'll be back to irritating you in no time, you'll see," Jay threw the fireman's words back at him with a teasing glint in his eye.

Kelly slapped Jay's head before pulling away, but some of the tension had eased from the older's frame. _Little brothers are the same everywhere_ , thought Kelly to himself. 

Startling a little at Ruzek's hand on his back, Kelly joined the newly arrived Burgess and Atwater at the whiteboard in the centre of the room. He got a consolatory pat on the back from Kim, and a small nod from Kevin.

"Now that everyones here, how about we find your brothers?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Again comments and kudos are food for the soul!! And again, please excuse my weird grammar, this language makes no sense!


	3. He won't care...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally!!! Matt's POV...

Matt opened his eyes, and immediately shut them again. _Why does it feel like I got hit by a truck?,_ Matt thought, _Or five?_

"That's cus you may have a concussion. You hit your head pretty hard," a voice called out from somewhere to his left. _Fuck, did I say that out loud?_

"Yup, and that too. Can you open your eyes so I can confirm?" The voice said, a little louder this time. Matt opened his eyes slowly, world titling for a bit before it stabilized. The room around him was small and dingy, a window in the far corner being the only source of light.

"You definitely have atleast a minor concussion," the words caused Matt to turn his head sharply towards the speaker, head protesting the sudden movement. The voice seemed to come from a man in a corner of the room, wearing dark scrubs, clever eyes tracking his motion.

The man raised his hand in a 2 finger salute, bringing Matt's attention to the handcuffs chaining him to the wall. He was surprised to find that the guy was vaguely familiar.

"Hey, aren't you Jay Halstead's brother, the one who works at Med?" "The one and only. I'm Will, by the way," "Matt Casey, I'm a lieutenant at—" "Firehouse 51, right? No way, you're Severide's Matt?"

Matt was thrown for a second at how a guy he'd just met called him _Severide's Matt._ The guy, Will, chuckled at the expression on his face. "Man, don't take it in the wrong way, just Severide's always in and out of the ER. He's a bit of a loud mouth, and the nurses love good gossip, you know? So when the 'hot fireman in room 253', Monique's words not mine, started mumbling 'Matt' and 'sorry' in his sleep, everyone and their cousin knew by the end of shift that something had happened between you two..."

Matt understood the chatter for what it was, a way to keep him distracted and awake while the concussion took it's course. Still, Kelly talking about him in his sleep, apologising even, made a soft warmth settle in his gut. Maybe their relationship was salvageable after all.

"No problem man, however bad the ER shifts can get, nothing can compare to sleep deprived firemen in the house together for 24 hour shifts..." The doc laughed a little at Matt's comment.

"Well, as heartwarming as this little display of comeraderie is, playtime's over boys! Time for the big leagues!" A voice cut through the false sense of security the two men had developed during the conversation. 

A tall blonde man walked into Matt's line of sight, impeccable clothes out of place for the setting. It made Matt's hackles rise instinctively, Will stiffening from his position near the wall.

"I'm sure you're wondering who I am, why you're here, why am I doing this, yada yada yada. I'll save you the trouble. Who I am doesn't matter, neither does where you are. I'm doing this, because Kelly Severide took the last of my family from me. He testified against my brother in court, which got him convicted. Got him 5 years in jail. He didn't last even one,"

"So now I'm gonna make Severide watch as I hurt you, I'm gonna make him watch, knowing he can't do anything to help you!" By the end of his little speech, the man had a manic grin on his face.

Matt didn't hear the end of the guys confession, blood rushing to his head the moment it was implied that he and Kelly were brothers. A small hysterical laugh bubbled out of Matt's throat. 

"If you think Kelly's gonna feel even a fraction of what I think you felt for your brother for me, you've got another thing coming. Me and him aren't brothers, hell we aren't even friends these days!" Matt was screaming by the end.

Through it all, a smug grin never left the man's face. There was silence for a long moment after Matt said his piece. Then the man turned towards the farthest corner of the room, where a hitherto unnoticed man stood holding a camera.

"You got all that James?" "Yes boss," "Perfect! Another something to add to Mr. Severide's guilt!"

"Wait, what do you mean by another something? What else did you shoot?" Will had been so silent during the entire exchange, Matt had almost forgotten he was there.

"Oh, I already shot my first clip a little while ago. You were unconscious, and even this gorgeous thing was pretty much out of it," Matt didn't miss the almost hungry way the man's gaze travelled down his body.

Apparently being done with the two men for the time being, the blonde began striding out the room. He paused midway through the door and looked back in again, "And don't even think about trying to escape," Matt, who was already testing his bonds for signs of give, froze at the man's words. "Even though I need you alive for a little longer, the poor doctor is... how do I put it, rather disposable."

Silence descended upon the two men left in the room, even as the retreating man's footsteps echoed down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really think people would like my stories, but all of this makes me so happy!!!  
> Thanks for the love guys!!!!


	4. We're running out of time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some basic info, even though it's a little late for that... This is set somewhere at the start of season 2, Kelly's already had his surgery, but they haven't talked about Andy yet. Hallie doesn't exist in my verse ... ( I don't really like her much )  
> Oh and let's just pretend Will's already in Chicago and working at Med.

It had been several hours since Kelly had received the first video, and nothing new had popped up. Intelligence had a couple of leads, but nothing had panned out yet, and Kelly was about to go out of his mind with worry. Jay wasn't doing much better either.

And then the second video had popped up, and he'd heard what Matt thought Kelly felt about him... A phantom knife stabbed Kelly in the heart, and he knew he deserved every second of the pain.

Things had been rough between the two firefighters, what with Andy dying, them blaming each other, Kelly hiding his injury and all the rest of it. But Kelly honestly thought things were getting better! He had told Matt about his back, they had finally had a civil conversation without fighting and Matt had even agreed to go out for drinks with him, get the Andy shaped elephant out if the room.

Kelly's eyes had filled with tears, a couple sliding down his cheeks. He didn't notice till Erin came over to him and handed him a tissue, a supportive hand on his back. After he'd wiped his face Erin gently guided his head towards her shoulder, an offer of silent comfort he so desperately needed in that moment.

After a few moments of him hiding from the world, Erin running a soothing hand down his back, Kelly decided enough was enough. Matt needed him to be strong, so that was what he was gonna be.

He extracted himself from her hold and gave her a thankful, though wobbly smile. She smiled back at him, something infinitely knowing in it. "You good?" She asked him. He just nodded.

At that instant, his phone pinged again. Something like despair crawled up Kelly's throat and settled there. It had hardly been an hour since the second video was sent. He took out his phone, checked his messages. Another clip, from the same unknown number.

"Oh, this is not good. He's starting to get desperate, or bored. Both of those mean nothing good for Will and Matt," Jay was rapidly texting someone, even as he came towards Kelly, the others giving them privacy to watch the videos alone first.

Kelly hit play the moment he felt Jay looking over his shoulder. The video started in the same way as the earlier two had, the only difference being that both Will and Matt knew they were being filmed. Neither of them had moved, and Kelly's attention was automatically drawn to his little brother.

Matt looked distinctly worse than he did in the last clip. There was blood running down him arms, his shirt was gone, exposing a myriad of bruises all over his torso. But the most worrisome part was Matt's face. For the first time since this entire ordeal started, Matt looked afraid.

The same man walked into the frame, hand gently running down Matt's gagged face. Kelly flinched at the same time that Matt did, and a satisfied smile grew on the monster's face.

"He's beautiful, isn't he? And he hurts so prettily too. I wonder what else I could do to him? Make him beg me to stop, beg me for death. Look at what you've done to your little brother, Kelly Severide. This is what happens when you love someone. They get hurt. You're the poison, Kelly. And everyone around you is gonna die because of you,"

Matt was shaking his head frantically, trying to say something, but the man grabbed his face holding it still. "Oh don't you worry dear, there's a lot of fun left to have! And you doc," the man said, turning around to face Will, "you're not really my type, but I'm sure you'll do it for atleast some of my men..."

The screen went black. Had Jay not taken the phone from Kelly's hand, he would have dropped it. The blood was rushing to his ears, the rest of the world not registering in his head.

He'd done this. Kelly had caused Matt pain, had hurt him just by being in his life. Maybe what the man said was true, maybe there was a poison in him. He somehow always ended up pushing away the people he cared about, getting them hurt. He thought they had been coincidences, but now he found the common denominator. Him.

Kelly slid down to the floor and put his head in his hands. Maybe he should just leave, let Intelligence do their job. He was no help to them anyway, only serving as a distraction.

A shout from across the room drew his attention. Jay was holding Kelly's phone in his hand and pointing at something, talking to Antonio. "Look at Will, his hands! He's tapping on the floor! He, I knew teaching that man morse code was gonna come in handy someday! Get me a pen and a paper quick!"

There was a flurry of activity as everyone started moving at the same time. Someone handed Jay a notepad and he started writing, having to revind the video multiple times.

Throughout all of it Kelly sat in the corner, watching dispassionately.

Finally Jay was done. "It's an address! Will must've been awake when they took him there! 2347 East Walburg street, someone find out where that is!" Atwater started up a search on his computer while Voight called for everyone's attention.

"Listen up people! The moment we get the confirmed address we roll out in 5. Suit up, let's go!" Kevin looked up from his screen, "I got the address, looks like it's only a half hour drive from here," 

Everyone scrambled to get their gear on, while Ruzek handed Kelly a bulletproof vest. "You can come with, but you'll have to stay in the car,"

Moving downstairs, Voight noticed that Kelly hadn't moved from his spot on the floor. Still holding the vest, Kelly looked like he was in shock. "Time to move, Severide, we found your brother!"

Kelly looked up slowly, "I'm not coming."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter through!!! We're almost at the end, folks, maybe 2 more chapters...  
> As always, thanks for the love!!! Comments and kudos always appreciated ❤️


	5. Did they do anything?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's gonna be from Jay's POV

Jay was the first one out of the district, which made him have to wait a couple of excruciating minutes for everyone else to get ready. By the time the rest of Intelligence was geared up and ready to go, Jay was about to crawl out of his own skin with anxiety.

"Where's Severide?", Antonio asked from where he was getting into the car. Jay, who hadn't noticed Severide's absence till then, turned around in confusion.

"With the way he's been acting, I'd have thought he might've beat Jay to the car," came Lindsey's reply. _He would have tried, at least,_ Jay privately mused.

Voight, who was the last one out, caught the tail end of Erin's statement. "Severide's not coming," he said gravely. Nobody wanted to believe him, because Kelly not insisting he come, even when everyone said no, was a sign of the apocalypse.

Jay though, he knew why Kelly wasn't coming, what was going on in the firefighter's head. "That damn guilt complex of his won't let him come. He thinks it's his fault Casey got taken, his fault all of this is happening," Jay said quietly.

"We don't have time for this. Everyone, in the car. We'll let Casey take care of his big brother's guilt when we get him back," Antonio said, taking charge when he saw everyone else was absorbed in their own thoughts.

Intelligence snapped out of their daze, responding to the command in Dawson's voice. Secretly, Jay was glad for Antonio, because anything that got him to Will faster was welcome. Jay got into the passenger side of the car that Lindsey was driving.

_If even one of those sick freaks have touched my brother, I'll rip their hands off,_ Jay quietly seethed to himself. He was getting sick at the thought of what the man had implied in his last video.

Erin sped down the road, breaking pretty much all the traffic rules in the process, but nobody cared in that moment. The closer they got to the address, the faster Jay's heart beat.

Stopping in front of what appeared to be a normal suburban house, Jay and Lindsey got out of the car. They were the last ones to reach, Voight and Antonio already at the front door, Burgess and Atwater at the back, Ruzek acting as backup.

Voight held up 3 fingers and started the countdown. The moment he reached zero, 2 simultaneous kicks could be heard as Atwater and Dawson broke down the doors. Jay and Lindsey followed their sergeant through the front door.

"Clear!", Antonio from the living room. "Clear!" Burgess from upstairs. "Basement!", came Kevin's call, to which everyone moved towards at once. Basements usually meant trouble.

"What the hell..." came out of Jay's mouth, as he saw what the basement had been converted to.

The side closest to the door, where Jay, Voight, Erin and Ruzek were standing was normal enough. A small home office, a desk, couple of chairs, and a laptop open on the table. 

The wall at the back was where it got weird. It was entirely covered by what looked like a shrine to Severide, complete with photos, newspaper articles, even what looked like stolen witness testimonies. And right besides the wall was another door.

Antonio moved towards it, Voight and Lindsey flanking him. Dawson bust open the door. "Chicago PD! Put your hands in the air! Now!" Scrambling could be heard from inside, before Jay got close enough to look through the door.

Matt Casey was tied to a chair in the centre of the room, a man who appeared to have been on top of him being cuffed by Lindsey. Casey's shirt was missing, showing off the pretty impressive bruising all over his chest. Burgess came through the door behind him, moving to untie Matt.

Jay didn't spend more than a second looking at Casey, his eyes immediately being drawn to the corner of what was turning out to be a huge basement. Antonio and Voight were hauling up 2 more men from the ground, cuffed and not putting up a fight. He looked past them, to a figure slumped on the ground. _Will,_ Jay thought.

Jay ran towards the corner, a small whimper escaping Will at the sound of the loud footsteps. Jay made an effort to slow down his pace, gently bending down towards his brother.

Will looked even worse close up. His scrubs were torn, showing small bruises all over his torso. But the worst part were the eyes. Jay put a hand on Will's cheek to raise his chin, Will flinching at the soft touch. His eyes, before recognition overtook them, were haunted with a kind of fear he'd seen before.

Seen in abuse victims, prostitutes.

Will, having realised what seeing his brother meant, went lax from the curled up position he was in. Jay slowly guided Will's head towards his shoulder, and it was as if a switch had been flipped. Will's eyes filled with tears, even as he moved to curl up in his brother's arms, craving the security Jay freely provided.

Jay's heart twisted, even as his arms moved to hold Will closer to his body. Small, heartbreaking sobs were coming from Will, as he shivered, though it was atleast 35 degrees in the room. Jay ran a soothing hand down his back, a soft littany of "It's ok, you're ok. You're safe, I'm here now. It's ok, no one's gonna hurt you when I'm here..."

Slowly, Will seemed to calm down, though he refused to let go of Jay. Jay had no problems with that, God himself couldn't have pulled him from his brother's side at the moment. Will wiped the tears from his face as he slowly regained his composure.

"Will... I have to ask, did anything—" Will shook his head, and something slowly began to uncoil from Jay's chest. "You got here in time. If you were even 10 minutes late..." Will didn't complete the statement.

Jay stood up slowly, not letting go of his brother. Even standing, Will seemed to have shrunk in on himself, the larger man hiding behind Jay. "Jay, man, do me a favour, don't mention this to anyone at med,"

A protest was ready at Jay's lips, but something stopped him. If he was in Will's position, he wouldn't want his colleagues to know either. So Jay just nodded, and draped Will's arm over his shoulder. "I'm taking a couple of days off, and we're gonna sit at home, drink beer and watch shitty cop shows," 

Will smiled a little at that, some of the tension leaking from his frame. His eyes looked a little less haunted, fear assuaged by his brother's presence.

"Let the paramedics check you out, and if they give you a clean bill of health, I'll take you home," Jay said to Will. Walking out if that house felt like freedom to Will.

While the medics fussed over the injured men, Jay wandered over to Voight. "Sarge, is it ok if I take—" Voight cut him off, "You're officially suspended, with pay, till Monday. I don't want to see you anywhere near the district before that, understood?" Jay smiled a little at the hint of concern in his boss' eyes and gave him a salute. "Won't be a problem," he said walking away.

"Hey Jay," Voight called out after a beat, "take care of him. He needs his family," Jay grinned before repeating, "Won't be a problem."

Will was talking to the paramedic, who turned out to be Gabby, Antonio's sister. "How's Casey?" Jay asked when he reached the parked ambo. "He'll be ok, couple of bruises and cuts, nothing time won't heal. They both don't even need to go to the hospital. I assume you'll be taking Will with you?" Jay nodded. "Then he's good to go."

The other paramedic came over, Shay, if he remembered correctly. She turned to him and asked, "Where's Kelly?"

Jay, who had forgotten all about the distraught fireman they had left at the district, startled at the question. "Oh my god, Kelly, he thinks it's all his fault, we left him back at 21. We told him he could come, but he refused. Damn that man's guilt complex!" Jay was rambling by the end.

Will put a hand on his shoulder, instantly calming the little brother. Shay had a fond look in her eyes as she glanced at the Halsteads. "You two remind me of Matt and Kelly. Now, is it ok if I bring Matt to the district with me? He wants to see Kelly, he knows what's going on Kelly's head. Besides, it'll be good for both of them to see each other,"

"I have no problems with that. I need to swing by there anyway, grab my bag and then take this big lug home," "Hey! Who you calling lug, short stack!" Will slapped his head in retaliation.

Jay made his way to the car, his big brother a steady presence at his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love!!  
> As always, comments and kudos feed the writer in me...


	6. It's not your fault!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelly and Matt together, finally!!!

The moment Intelligence bust through the door, Matt knew that it was finally over. The main man, Matt and Will had taken to calling him Greg, was on top of him, running his hands down Matt's chest.

He knew he shouldn't be afraid, that Intelligence would come for them, especially since Will was here. But that didn't stop the fear, the nausea from spreading through his body every second that Greg had his filthy hands all over his body.

A small, blonde detective came running over to him, hauling Greg off. She put him on the ground, kicked him for good measure, and then cuffed him. Matt didn't take his eyes away from the pair till they left his sight, out of the room.

Jay Halstead came through the door next, gave Matt a cursory glance. He didn't take it personally, Matt knew Jay wasn't here for him. As if to prove the point, Jay's gaze slid over him and to the back of the room, where Will was. Matt just hoped the men hadn't gone too far with him.

Another woman came through the door, this time brunette, and moved behind him. He heard jiggling, and then his hands were blessedly free of the cuffs. Slowly rubbing his hands to get the blood flow back, he almost missed what the woman was saying.

"—are waiting for us outside. Let's get you checked out, and if nothing's wrong, you can go home. You don't have to give your statement for a while, we won't bother you," Matt half listened, nodding as they moved up the stairs. The cold Chicago air had never felt so good to him.

He didn't think he could be so calm, but everything was going numb. It felt as if he was seeing the world through a screen, disjointed and detached. He knew this wasn't healthy, the crash would be spectacular, but he'd hold onto it till he reached somewhere private.

The paramedics, who thankfully turned out to be Gabby and Shay, came running towards him. Shay made him sit down in the back of the ambo, Gabby tending to the injured Halstead.

Shay running a careful hand down his ribs, Matt thought he'd be disgusted by it, but her fingers were soft and clinical, not lingering unless absolutely necessary. After she was done examining him, she sat down in the ambo with Matt. Curling a hand across his back, she laid her head on his shoulder.

Matt felt his mask starting to crack.

He knew he couldn't have the inevitable breakdown in the middle of the street, so after a few minutes he pushed her off and got up. Shay smiled at him, squeezing his hand comfortingly once, before letting go.

"Shay, I can't... would it be ok if... Can I stay with you and Kelly for a few days?" The _I don't think I can be alone right now,_ went unspoken. "I was gonna insist on it. Speaking of Kelly, didn't he come here with the cops?"

"What do you mean, 'Didn't he come here?' I thought he was with you," "Kelly hasn't been home since he got the first video. Hell, he didn't even tell me what was going on! Antonio called Gabby and she told me what was happening! Apparently that idiot's been at the station this entire time!"

Matt was just as confused as Shay, but something akin to warmth spread through him when he heard that Kelly hadn't stopped searching for him. _Maybe what we have is salvageable after all._ A small smile bloomed on his face.

Shay just shook her head fondly at him, walked away muttering about her 'emotionally repressed boys' and 'What would they do without me, honestly!' Matt let her go.

She came back after a few minutes, having talked to the Halstead brothers. "How's Will?" Matt asked her, concerned for the man he could now call a friend. "He's ok, Jay's taking him home,"

"Kelly's at the district. Apparently they were letting him come with, but his 'guilt complex', Jay's words not mine, wouldn't let him. He seems to think you getting kidnapped is somehow his fault,"

"But that's ridiculous! How could it be his fault? He didn't tell Greg to do what he did!" "Greg?" "I couldn't keep calling him the Man in my head, so me and Will started calling him Greg," Shay snorted in amusement.

"Well, I talked to Jay, he said it's ok to take you to the district since you don't need the hospital. Kelly needs you right now, and I know you're running in fumes, you need him to calm down too,"

Matt hung his head, ashamed at how easily Shay saw through his bravado. "C'mon, Will and Jay are giving us a ride. Gabby can take the ambo back to 51, our shift is over anyway," She held out her hand and Matt took it, pulling himself to his feet, and followed her to where Jay and Will were standing.

The moment they got within hearing range, Will flinched and shrunk in on himself, Jay automatically making himself larger to protect his brother. Looking at them both, a deep longing overtook Matt. Kelly used to be that way with him.

When Will noticed who it was, he sheepishly uncurled and put a hand on Jay's shoulder. A silent demand to stand down. Matt swept his eyes over Will, taking in the bruises so similar to his own. "I'm ok, Casey. Let's go, Jay tells me your big brother has a guilty conscience to rival his own,"

"That's an understatement," Shay said, getting into the backseat. Matt followed her, ducking his head through the door and sitting down. The adrenaline was getting over and the crash was coming, Matt just wanted Kelly there to help him through it.

The drive to the district passed by in a blur. Will and Shay were talking softly, but Matt wasn't paying attention. Jay parked the car on the street and led them towards the Intelligence department. 

"Oy, Halstead!" The desk sergeant called out. "What did you do to that poor man upstairs? He hasn't moved since you guys left. We brought him a cup of coffee, but he hasn't touched it!" It took Matt a few seconds before he realised they were talking about Kelly.

"Don't worry sarge, Matt here was missing. We found him, he'll fix Kelly for you," Jay was half joking, but something in his voice was deadly serious. Matt answered the unasked question. _Yes, I'll fix our Kelly._

Jay lead them up the stairs and into a big room, filled with desks and a huge whiteboard in the corner. But Matt wasn't paying attention to any of that. His gaze was drawn instantly to the figure sitting on the ground, leaning against one of the desks. He hadn't moved, even though Matt was sure they had made a lot of noise coming up.

Matt made a beeline towards him and bent down, cracked ribs protesting the movement. A small whimper of pain escaped him, Kelly looking up at the sound. The moment Kelly realised who was standing besides him, he dropped his head again.

To everyone's horror, tears gathered in Kelly's eyes. Shay took this as a cue to give them bothe some privacy, herding everyone else out and closing the gate behind her.

The moment the gate shut, Kelly broke down. "Matt, I'm so sorry, please, I didn't mean for this to happen! You got hurt because of me, how, what are you still doing here? You should run, Matt, far away from me, I only hurt the people I care about. First Andy, then you, please I couldn't bear it if something else happened to you..."

Matt let him finish his rant, knowing Kelly needed to get that off his chest. He sat down beside the distraught man, and took his face in his hands. Kelly instantly averted his gaze.

"Kel, look at me," When he didn't, Matt softly tilted his face up. "Big brother, look, I'm fine, see! Nothing but a few cracked ribs and a bruised ego. This wasn't your fault—" Kelly was shaking his head in denial, "— it wasn't! What that sick fuck did was on him, you are not to blame here. I'm fine, I'm ok. You are not poison, and Andy's death was not your fault. It was a horrible accident, and nothing else. I'm here now, and I'm tired. The adrenaline is wearing off, and I'm gonna crash soon, so I'd really appreciate it if you get your head out of your ass and come back to me!" Matt was shouting by the end.

That seemed to finally get through to Kelly, made him realise what Matt had gone through that day. The man, the way he was looking at his brother... He wiped the tears from his eyes and sat up straight, looking at Matt. Really looking at him, past the concern and flimsy annoyance, at the core where he could see that Matt was shaken and scared and needed him.

Matt dropped his hands from Kelly's face the moment he realised Kelly was listening. 

Kelly curled a hand around Matt's shoulders, pulling him forward to rest his head on Kelly's chest. Matt went willingly, sighing a little when Kelly's arms wrapped around him, securing his place. The stress of the day was catching up to Matt, making him want to fall asleep right there, safe.

Kelly ran a soothing hand through Matt's hair, and didn't say a word when his t-shirt began to grow damp and Matt started to shake. He just sat there, humming a mindless tune to soothe him.

When he felt the shaking subside, Kelly cautiously raised Matt's head from where it was buried in his chest. He smiled a little at the thankful expression on Matt's face and moved to pull away. The small noise of protest almost stopped him, but Kelly knew Matt would br more comfortable back home.

He stood up, pulling Matt with him. "Come on, you're staying with me and Shay for a few days," "I know, Shay practically forced me to as well," Kelly dragged Matt behind him as they descended the stairs, never ceasing contact with the younger.

The moment they reached downstairs, the desk sargeant called for them. "Shay left a message for you two. She told me to tell you that she's gonna spend the night at Gabby's and that you'd better get your shit together by the time she gets back or she's gonna lock the two of you in a room together till you talk it out,"

"Don't worry sarge, we're good. There was never a doubt about that," Kelly told Platt, which earned him a small nod. At his words, Matt felt a small smile of his own begin to grow, which turned into a proper grin when Kelly threw a hand over his shoulder and they walked out of the district together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this story is done!! Just an epilogue in the end that'll show the boys dealing with the incident in their own...
> 
> As always, comments and kudos give me life!!


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter!!! I'm kinda sad and happy at thd same time...

The car ride back to Jay's flat was silent. Will looked out the window, and Jay didn't want to force his brother to talk. So he drove in silence.

"Ok, so there's beer in the fridge if you want it. I'm gonna go grab a shower, get changed. You should do the same. Some of your old clothes are still in the spare room," said Jay as they parked the car and entered the apartment.

Will only nodded absently and moved towards the guest room. Jay was getting slight worried, but he knew his brother would talk to him sooner or later. For now, he took off his coat, hung it on the rack and went to get a scalding hot shower.

20 minutes later, Jay walked into the living room, freshly showered and feeling marginally better. He found Will already out, reheating frozen pizza in the microwave. "Yeah sure, help yourself to the food," Jay tried to lighten the mood.

When no reply came forth, Jay gave an "Ok..." and sat down on the couch. He decided choosing a movie was too much work and started flipping through the channels, trying to find the promised TV show to watch. 

"I don't know what I would've done if you had been late," Will said after a few minutes of silence. Jay turned around to look at him to find him frozen, hand on the microwave handle. The pizza was done reheating, but Will made no move to grab it.

"Will, man, come here. Bring the pizza, come sit with me," said Jay, hoping to delay the inevitable conversation. Will came over and sat down on the other end of the couch, putting as much distance between them as possible. _He's still scared,_ thought Jay.

"Look at me. Will, look at me," Jay urged as Will continued to avoid his gaze. Finally he met the detective's eyes, looking scared and embarrassed at the same time. "I wasn't late. When it comes to you, you can be damn sure I'm never gonna be late. I got your back, man," Will nodded at him, finally relaxing a little bit on the couch.

"You know I'd do anything for you, right?" Will looked up from the floor at Jay's voice. "Likewise," came his reply after a second. Will scooted across the couch, getting all up into his brother's space just as a new episode started on the TV.

"So what're we watching?" Jay let out a small snort at his brother's childish voice, not saying a word about how Will tucked himself into his side. Jay grabbed the throw from the armchair and settled it across both of them.

"Shitty cop shows, just as promised," Will grabbed a piece of pizza and turned his attention to the TV. Jay decided to leave the dishes on the table after they were done. He didn't say a word when Will fell asleep halfway into the third episode, his head on Jay's shoulder.

He didn't say anything at the horrible crick in his neck the next morning, having ended up falling asleep on the couch himself, loathe to remove himself from his brother's hold.

He didn't say anything at the way Will woke him up twice in the night because of his nightmares, just shushed him and pulled him closer both times. That seemed to be enough to put him back under again.

He'd take a hundred cricks in his neck and a thousand sore backs if he got to see the happy and unafraid look in his brother's eyes the next morning.

The bacon and eggs made for breakfast, just the way he liked it, didn't hurt either.

CPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPD

Across town, Kelly wasn't having much luck getting Matt to talk either. He seemed to have exhausted all his words at the district, keeping quiet all the way back to the Shayveride loft, throughout dinner, all the way till the dishes were clean.

Kelly had had enough. He knew he needed to step up, help Matt, but he had no idea what he needed, what Matt wanted from him.

Kelly grabbed Matt's arm just as he was going to bed, but let go quickly at Matt's flinch. His hand burned. Kelly let him go, thinking he'd call Shay in the morning if there was no more progress. For now, he was beat and just wanted to sleep.

The older firefighter got a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep before something woke him up in the middle of the night. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the baseball bat from Shay's room before going to investigate.

There was no one else in the loft. He left the spare room till the end, not willing to disturb Matt's sleep. As he was moving towards the guest room, another sound reached him, this one clearly coming from Matt. Dropping the bat, he ran straight towards his little brother.

He opened the door, expecting Matt to be awake, and was surprised to find that Casey was still asleep. It was anything but a restful sleep though. Kelly moved towards the bed, hoping he would be welcome when Matt was so obviously vulnerable.

"Matt! Matt! Wake up man, it's just a dream!" When that didn't get him anywhere Kelly put his hand on Matt's arm, expecting another flinch. Instead, Matt put his own arm over his and clutched it hard, still asleep. Kelly used his other hand and lightly shook Matt, waking him up.

The younger one was surprised for a beat, squeezing the elder's hand tighter when he remembered the dream. Kelly squeezed back and smiled reassuringly when Matt looked up at him.

"You can go back to bed now Kel, I'm ok," Matt said after a few moments. His hand left Kelly's, gaze dropping to the floor. Kelly knew he didn't really want him to leave, he just didn't know how to ask.

"I'm staying right here. Scoot over, the beds big enough for two," Kelly said, giving Matt a small smile. Some tension seeped out of Matt's frame when Kelly settled in the bed, his large frame blocking Matt from the door.

"It's ok to want me here, Matt. If living with Shay has taught me something, it's that needing someone isn't a weakness," Kelly could feel Matt nod in the dark.

Matt turned around and burrowed his face in Kelly's chest, the larger ones arms automatically curling around the smaller's back. Kelly stroked Matt's hair till he fully relaxed, the younger falling in to a deep sleep. The elder one followed soon after, his own heart calmed by his brother's proximity.

Matt woke Kelly up in the morning with blaring music coming from the kitchen. He groaned into the pillow, already regretting letting Matt stay. The situation was made a thousand times better by the smell of blueberry pancakes coming from the kitchen. Matt's grandma's recipe, the one that Kelly loved.

He walked into the kitchen and turned off the speaker. Matt turned around at that, wearing Shay's Kiss the cook apron, and smacked Kelly in the head with the spatula. "Just for that I'm gonna add too much salt in the rest of your pancakes,"

_Matt seems better,_ thought Kelly as Matt moved to hand him a plate stacked with pancakes. "Will called in the morning, him and Jay want to take us out for dinner tonight. His exact text was, 'I wanna pretend to be on a double date so that we get discounted food'," Matt said, reading aloud from his phone.

"Gross," "That's what I said!" "We're still going right?" "Hell yeah! You should never give up free food!" They both laughed at that, Matt going back to the stove.

The easy mood continued throughout the day, even as Shay returned. Her motherhenning made both of them feel better.

Leaving for dinner with the Halsteads, Matt caught Kelly looking at him from the front door. He just nodded back, walking out together, towards the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all folks! *Exits with a flourish* *Hopes she doesn't look stupid*


	8. Author's note

Hey! The story is complete and this isn't an update.

I was thinking of making a one shot fic, not just for One Chicago, but a couple of other fandoms as well.

If anyone has any ideas or opinions, they would be very welcome!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Discord! @Mau#1787  
> Come say hi!!


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